Humans vs. Civilization

Rating: 9/10 (21 May 2004)

*****WARNING: Spoilers appear throughout the following commentary*****
The infection is called Rage. Do they mean Rage as in the human emotion, or R.A.G.E. as some kind of acronym? (I.E. government experiment gone awry.)
Those infected with "rage" are not really walking dead (thus the unfair comparisons, imho, to the Living Dead movies) - they are mortal. Although it is evident that the infected die from starvation, they don't ever appear to be feeding on humans, only either quickly passing the infection on, or quickly killing their prey off.
On one level, the infection is less the dilemma in this film - almost like a side-note. The real problem lies in how the uninfected react.
The military was chosen very intentionally for this film to represent an institution of civilization. Major West demonstrates to Jim how well his soldiers have kept themselves organized; how civilized they have all remained with a boiler for hot showers and a fancy dining room in which to eat meals.
Yet West is not the noble officer he appears to be. He sits on a richly upholstered chair from the mansion his team has helped themselves to, and surveys his domain like a king. During the "toast" at dinner, he helps himself first to the meal (what kind of officer feeds himself before his soldiers have been fed?) During the attack, he remains seated at the table to finish his meal. He later informs Jim that he promised women - now meaning Selena and Hannah - to his troops (not that the promise was his to make in the first place.)
Even when we all have a common enemy, we still cannot get along and make ends meet. At the end of the film, the look of startled confusion on Jim's face in response to Selena asking him if the pilot had seen them this time seems to ask, "Does it really matter? Because what are we being save from, and where are we being saved to?"
********End of Spoilers**********
28 Days Later does a fantastic job of showing how civilization does not come from without - it does not come from luxuries, riches, or ownership. It comes from within - our acceptance of the responsibility to "maintain" no matter what. And it also challenges us to look at our own recognized institutions of civilization: have we built them upon false premises?
This movie will be enjoyed by readers of "Lord of the Flies" and "Heart of Darkness". Chris Eccleston is subtly excellent as the manipulative, yet still complex, Major West. Cillian Murphy, who plays Jim, possesses an amazing array of body language and facial expressions that augment not just his own character, but the general themes of the movie.